<p>When I finish high school in 2007, I'll have lived in the United States for a total of six years. I'll graduate from an American high school, and my English is above the level of some native speakers. But when I apply to college it'll be as an international student. </p>
<p>You see, I'm here as a dependent of my parents, who have diplomat visas. And unless my family is selected in the diversity lottery this winter ("Less probable than getting into Harvard," according to my dad) the chance that we'll obtain a green card is, well, minuscule.</p>
<p>It hurts to know that I might get rejected from the colleges I apply to, not because I'm underqualified, but because of a slip of paper I don't have. It hurts to know my family's not eligible for finaid. And it hurts to see awards</a> that I should qualify for but can't even apply to.</p>
<p>I'm just bitter, I guess. And the truth is I'm luckier than most. Still, I can't help thinking it's unfair that something so extremely arbitrary might get in the way of everything I've worked for.</p>
<p>To the mods--Delete this post if you want; I just needed to vent.</p>
<p>At some schools the fact that you have an international passport is a real asset, especially if you can pay full fare. There are some great schools which meet full need, even for international students. Use your life experiences to their fullest as you try to 'sell' yourself to schools...</p>
<p>Your search will have to be modified(somewhat) to accomodate your passport status, but this doesn't mean you can't have an excellent outcome... </p>
<p>My kids are at an international school and in the past few years kids with non-American passports have been accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Brown, Swarthmore, Pomona, etc, etc. </p>
<p>Buck up and get on with it, and vent here periodically if it helps...but don't be whiney in any of your dealings with any colleges!!!</p>
<p>well, i've known some graduate researchers (my parent's friends) who have gotten their green cards while in grad school, but you'd have to be pretty talented. It's certainly not impossible though.
I was bitter for quite a while too because of my college rejections...but hey, maybe it's not a bad thing after all...</p>
<p>thisyearsgirl, Im in the same boat as you are :(
The bad part is, if you "age-out" (21) we will be forced out of the H4 visa and we will have to convert to F1....which means heavy fees...I am now forced to attend UC system and not apply to any privates.</p>
<p>Lol l, i am a senior in the same position and i sacrificed a seat at hopkins ( they didnt have enough "international financial aid") and HAVE to go to a state/little known private college instead. It's upto you to make best of your oppurtunities ! Alteast soem people can afford to pay full tuition at privates or out of state for Uc's clearly I am not in that group:)</p>
<p>indie_boy: I have an A-1 visa. Do the aging-out rules apply to that, too?</p>
<p>nomad: I'm sorry that it's turned out that way for you.</p>
<p>My parents are determined to pay for my education in whichever way possible ("You won't have to turn down a school because you can't afford to go"), but I'd really prefer not to have to take advantage of that offer.</p>
<p>thisyearsgirl, I can understand your frustration. You should try to see the full side of the glass, though - your parents are willing and able to pay for your education should that be necessary.
You are part of a lucky minority who can afford an American education - I do not intend to sound holier-than-thou, but a little more optimism would not hurt!
I know I was frustrated about not being an American in the beginning when I was looking for FinAid, but there are lots of places which do offer aid for international students - it is important just to look for it. And if you say that your parents would have the means to pay the education, then your EFC would be somehow substantial, which would make you eligible for FinAid in more places than most internationals.
Let me give you an example: Ohio Wesleyan University, an OK place (from what I know), not uber-selective, offers financial aid to international students who can pay at least $10K. For me (my family could pay well under $5K), that was unrealistic, and it is likewise for possibly 50% of International students. In other words, you would have acces to a niche for middle-income (American standard) internationals. So, don't worry, the picture should not be that bleak.</p>
<p>bogororo: Thank you for your encouragement. I've read your story here on CC and it's truly inspiring. The information you posted about finaid is interesting--I hadn't heard of anything like that before.</p>
<p>The truth is that I don't know how much money we have. I live in a nice house in a good neighborhood and go to an expensive private school, but all of that is covered with Embassy funds. We have a small house in Sweden, at least one mortgage, and no savings that I know of. Paying for college out-of-pocket would be a struggle for my parents, and I'm touched that they are willing to make these sacrifices for me--still, though, I wish I didn't have to put that strain on them.</p>
<p>I try not to sound this whiny all the time; sometimes it just gets overwhelming.</p>
<p>The college admissions process can get overwhelming, especially for internationals. I infered from your posts that you are Swedish - that's absolutely great. Colleges always want another country to boast the numbers of represented countries and I bet not many Swedes apply to American Colleges&Universities. The thing is - if they want a Romanian, they can pick&choose from the maybe 50 people who applied to that school, if they want an Indian they have hundreds to pick from, I'm sure, if they want a Swede (or maybe even a Scandinavian) they have 3-4 people to pick from. I know this is not a rule but I have a feeling that being from a "non-feeder" (where not so many people whish to go to the US to study) country should help.</p>
<p>I am in the same boat you are, just a bit more unfortunate :]</p>
<p>You see, I am utterly POOR and my family cannot pay my way through any Ivy Leagues. I would pay if I had the money but my dad's yearly income is much smaller in comparison to a semester tuition at Harvard - much, much smaller. I hate being poor and on top of that, I hate being an international student - an Asian one at that.</p>
<p>kisstheskyxx: I'm sorry about your situation. :( Aren't ivies usually more generous than other schools in giving aid to internationals, though? Good luck with everything.</p>
<p>kisstheskyxx, don't worry about Ivies (HYP, to be more exact). If you can get into them, they will pay everything, and money will deffinitely not influence your admissions decision, as they are need-blind. In this sense, HYP have a level playing field, but they remain lottery schools.</p>
<p>I looked up the A-1 eligibility requirements online and found this:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Dependents of an A-1 visa include the following members of the immediate family habitually residing in the same household as the principal alien:</p>
<p>Spouse;
Unmarried children under the age of 21;
Unmarried sons or daughters under the age of 23 who are full time students at post-secondary educational institutions;
Unmarried sons or daughters under the age of 25 who are full time students at post-secondary educational institutions if a formal bilateral employment agreement permitting their employment in the United States was signed prior to November 21, 1998, and such bilateral employment agreement does not specify 23 as the maximum age for employment of such sons and daughters;
Unmarried sons or daughters who are physically or mentally disabled to the extent that they cannot adequately take care of themselves and cannot establish and maintain their own households.
[/quote]
Which means that college is covered as long as my parents stay in the US, which isn't guaranteed... but it's good enough news for now.</p>
<p>Yes, but admissions into most Ivies are most prestigious and in some schools, Financial Ability is a factor in the admission decision. Besides, I'm a good student but I'm not a super genius and probably (most likely) will not be able to compete with National Math Competition winners from India and China for financial aid to Harvard :] I have just about the same stats as some of the US Citizens who apply to Harvard and have nothing that really "stands out."</p>
<p>Thanks for all the words of encouragement :] , even though my chances are still pretty slim.</p>
<p>thisyearsgirl, you should consider public colleges in your state. They will not make you pay international/out-of-state fees unless you are a F-1...</p>
<p>For example, I pay exacty the same amount of money as the other students. I just pay $6,485 tution fees for UC instead of $30,000+ for private education!! The only bad thing is that the Ivies have a better reputation than most public schools.</p>
<p>If I lived in any other state I suppose I would...but I think I'm aiming a little bit higher than UDC. :D I'll just hope for the best in the diversity lottery this year, get a job, work my ass off, apply to HYP (+safeties, naturally) and hope for the best.</p>
<p>I'm trying to get over my slump and look at this optimistically.</p>